The family of a woman mauled by a bear last week outside her home in Alaska said she had “simply stepped outside for a jog” when the animal attacked, dragging her about 100 feet to a neighbor’s property.
Anchorage-based KTUU identified the woman as Ariean Fabrizio Colton, a resident of Kenai, a coastal city where state wildlife officials say bear encounters are not unusual. Her sister-in-law shared a statement with KTUU on behalf of the family, saying Colton has begun “a long road to recovery” after the attack left her seriously injured.
“The reality is that this could have happened to anyone,” the statement said, according to KTUU. “Ariean simply stepped outside for a morning jog on a residential street—an ordinary moment, like grabbing the mail or taking the trash out before starting the day.”
Colton’s family praised her “remarkable strength” as she remained hospitalized with major wounds to her face and scalp, KTUU reported. A statement on a GoFundMe created by the family said her injuries “will require extensive surgeries and a long hospital stay.”
“We are very grateful for the outpouring of support since Ariean’s attack,” the statement continued. “We ask for privacy and compassion as she begins a long road to recovery and we urge kindness in how her story is shared online.”
Colton, 36, left her home in Kenai around 5:45 a.m. on Aug. 26 to go jogging, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. In a public notice, state troopers said the bear attacked her near her driveway and was later found by a neighbor.
Alaska Wildlife Trooper David Lorring told KTUU that Colton was only about 50 yards from her house when the bear approached and “dragged her approximately 100 yards down to the road” toward the neighbor’s property.
“Ariean is a loving wife, mother of three, and a nurse, known for her adventurous spirit and love of nature,” the GoFundMe page reads. The fundraiser has raised over $90,000 as of Wednesday.
State troopers, local police, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game searched the area for the bear, believed to be a brown bear, but did not find it. Troopers said patrols would continue and urged the community “to remain vigilant while outdoors.”
